The broken link email is the shortest useful outreach email there is, and almost every version circulating online is twice as long as it needs to be. Length is the problem: the more you explain, the more it reads as a pitch wearing a favour as a disguise.
The template
Subject: Dead link on [exact page title]
"Hi [name] — quick one. On [page title], the link to [anchor text or resource name] in the [section name] section is returning a 404; looks like [old site] took it down.
We have a [short description] covering the same ground if it is useful as a replacement: [URL]. If it is not the right fit, [alternative resource] is probably the closest thing still live.
Either way, worth knowing about the dead one. — [name]"
Why each line is there
The subject line names the page. It is not clever and it should not be. The recipient can tell in two seconds that this is about their site and is probably worth thirty seconds.
"Quick one" sets expectation. It is a promise the rest of the email keeps.
The location detail — section name, anchor text — is the proof of work. It is the sentence that could not have been sent to anyone else, and it is the only reason this email gets a reply.
"Looks like [old site] took it down" explains the cause. It shows you checked rather than ran a script, and it quietly answers the question they would otherwise ask.
The offer is one line. No pitch, no benefits, no "our comprehensive guide."
Naming an alternative that is not yours is the line most people cut, and it is the one that changes the reply rate. It makes the email verifiably about the dead link rather than about you. It also occasionally means they use the other resource — which is a fair price for the emails that do convert.
What to cut
| Common line | Why it hurts |
|---|---|
| "I was browsing your site and loved it" | Names nothing; signals a template |
| "I found several broken links" | Reads as an audit; invites "send them all" |
| "Our comprehensive, in-depth guide" | Adjectives are the pitch tell |
| "It would mean a lot to us" | Moves the value back to your side |
| A screenshot attachment | Triggers filters; nobody opens it |
The two follow-ups
First, five days later: "Following up in case this got buried — the [resource name] link on [page] is still 404ing." That is the entire email. You are re-reporting a fact, not chasing a favour.
Second, about two weeks in: "Last one from me — happy to be ignored, but the dead link is still there if it is useful to know." Then stop. The full cadence reasoning is in the outreach guide.
Two variants worth having
The dead-domain variant. When an entire site in your niche has shut down, every page linking to it is a prospect and they all share one cause. Say so explicitly: "[Site] shut down in [month], so the link in [section] is dead." Naming the shutdown is more credible than reporting an isolated 404 and it explains why they are hearing from a stranger.
The outdated variant. The link works but points at a discontinued tool or a superseded statistic. Same structure, different first line: "The [thing] you link to in [section] was discontinued in [year] — the page still loads but redirects to a holding notice."
Before you send any of these
Confirm the link is genuinely broken from more than one network, confirm your replacement actually covers the same ground, and confirm the page has been touched in the last two years. An email reporting a dead link on an abandoned page is a wasted send, and the qualification criteria are in the broken link building guide.
The other structures — resource pages, insertions, guest posts — are in the templates guide. Our template feature keeps the variants straight across a campaign.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a broken link outreach email be?
Under 120 words, including the follow-ups. The value of the email is self-evident the moment the recipient checks the link, so explaining it at length only signals that you are selling something. The shortest versions of this email consistently outperform the longer ones.
Should I mention my link in the first email?
Yes, in one line. The two-step approach — report the dead link, wait for a thank you, then pitch — wastes the recipient's time with a second exchange and comes across as manipulative once they notice the pattern. Mentioning the replacement once, plainly, alongside an alternative that is not yours, is more honest and converts better.
What if my page isn't a true replacement for the dead link?
Then do not send it. If the dead resource was a technical specification and yours is a general overview, the recipient will see immediately that it is not a replacement, and the email becomes an ordinary link request that opened by pointing out their mistake. That is worse than not emailing at all.
How many broken link emails should I send per campaign?
As many as you have genuinely qualified prospects, which in most niches is between thirty and eighty. The constraint is supply, not capacity. Padding the list with pages that are abandoned or where your page is not a real replacement lowers the reply rate for the whole campaign.